Recently, a federal judge has ruled that several former officials from President Donald J. Trump's administration, including Mark Meadows, his former chief of staff, cannot invoke executive privilege to avoid testifying to a grand jury investigating Mr. Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The ruling paves the way for the former White House officials to answer questions from federal prosecutors. Trump’s lawyers have tried to rebuff grand jury subpoenas issued to more than a half-dozen former administration officials in connection with the former president's efforts to remain in office after the polls’ defeat. The lawyers argue that Mr. Trump's interactions with the officials would be covered by executive privilege. Federal prosecutors are eager to hear from Meadows, who refused to be interviewed by the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Meadows was a central player in various efforts to help Mr. Trump reverse the election outcome in a number of contested states.

The ruling gives way for former officials to appear before the grand jury and answer questions from federal prosecutors. While the existence of the sealed ruling was first reported by ABC News, Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled on the matter in a closed-door proceeding in her role as chief judge of the Federal District Court in Washington, overseeing the grand juries in the ongoing investigations into Trump.